Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA)

Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan- An overview

The Government of India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has launched the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA). The aim of Abhiyan is to provide quality antenatal care free and guaranteed to all pregnant women on the 9th day of every month. In July 2016, the Prime Minister appealed to the medical community and requested them to volunteer for this program and be available for at least 12 days in a year in government hospitals.

In short, it is a government initiative to offer pregnant women medical check-ups from specialists. However, here it must be noted that these are not the conventional antenatal check-ups but by medical specialists (gynaecologists and radiologists). This will assist in reducing the maternal and infant mortality rate by identifying risks during pregnancy and taking appropriate measures to address them.

Why Was This Programme Launched?

Although antenatal care was available in government facilities, it was not very good. Few specialist doctors were involved, particularly in villages. Women often did not see a gynaecologist even once during their pregnancy.

In 1990, India's Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) was high at 556 women per 100,000 live births. By 2018-2020, it had come down to 97 per one lakh live births, which is a reduction of 459 points.

PMSMA was designed to further reduce this number by early detection of complications and ensuring that every pregnant woman whether in urban or rural areas receives timely care.

The "9th of Every Month" Rule- Why This Specific Date?

One of the most distinctive features of PMSMA is its fixed-day approach. Under PMSMA, special antenatal care services are provided by OBGY specialists, radiologists, and physicians at government health facilities on the 9th of every month.

Having a fixed date does something smart, that is, it creates a routine. Women know exactly when to go for the checkup. Healthcare workers know exactly when to prepare. Private sector doctors know exactly when to volunteer. It removes confusion and ensures a steady, predictable flow of quality care every single month.

Who Is Eligible for PMSMA?

The eligibility criterion for PMSMA is very simple to understand. Any woman in the second or third trimester of pregnancy can go to a designated government health centre on the 9th day of a month and receive free specialist care, regardless of her background.

There's no poverty line to cross, no below poverty line (BPL) card to present and no registration forms to fill. A woman from a poor family in rural Bihar and a working woman from Pune in the city are equally eligible. This is because complications in pregnancy do not discriminate and neither does health care.

Women with their first pregnancy, women with complications in previous pregnancies and those who have missed earlier antenatal check-ups are all eligible. In fact, PMSMA makes room for women who have slipped through the cracks of the health-care system.

The only requirement? Show up on the 9th.

What Services Does PMSMA Provide?

Under the PMSMA scheme, a range of essential services are provided free of charge on the 9th of every month. The List is as follows:

1. Routine antenatal check-ups
2. Blood pressure monitoring
3. Blood tests
4. Ultrasound scans
5. Nutritional counselling

Beyond the basics, PMSMA also ensures appropriate management of existing clinical conditions such as anaemia, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and gestational diabetes, along with proper counselling and documentation of services.

Women who may have missed earlier antenatal visits also get a chance to catch up through this programme. It's designed as a safety net, not just a routine service.

The Role of High-Risk Pregnancy Identification

One of the most impactful aspects of PMSMA is how it handles high-risk pregnancies. As part of the programme, a sticker system is used on Mother and Child Protection (MCP) cards. The sticker system lists a green sticker for women with no detected risk factors and a red sticker for women identified as having a high-risk pregnancy.

This sticker system is brilliantly simple. It makes follow-up easy. Any health worker, even one who wasn't present at the original checkup, can instantly understand a woman's risk status just by looking at her card. For high-risk women, this follow-up can literally be the difference between life and death. This gives the pregnant woman complete control over managing her health and related risks during pregnancy.

How Private Doctors Are Involved

The key feature of the PMSMA programme is that antenatal checkup services are provided by government doctors with support from private OBGY members to supplement government sector efforts.

In the July 31, 2016 episode of Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Modi highlighted the aim of PMSMA and appealed to doctors to dedicate 12 days a year to this initiative. A national portal and mobile application have been developed to facilitate the engagement of private and voluntary sector doctors.

Private gynaecologists can register via a toll-free number (18001801104) or the PMSMA portal. And their contributions don't go unrecognised as awards are given to volunteers who have served the maximum number of patients, who have consistently provided services on all PMSMA days, and who have served in remote or inaccessible areas.

E-PMSMA: The Digital Extension

As the programme has grown, so too has the technology. In January 2022, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare introduced e-PMSMA (Extended PMSMA) to allow individual tracking of High-Risk Pregnancy (HRP), via a new module in the existing PMSMA portal.

This technology upgrade means high-risk pregnant women can now be individually tracked and their health status is recorded, tracked and alerted if they don't attend follow-up appointments. It adds an element of accountability and continuity to the process that's impossible to achieve with paper-based systems.

Where Can You Avail These Services?

PMSMA services are available at government health facilities including:

1. Primary Health Centres (PHCs)
2. Community Health Centres (CHCs)
3. District Hospitals
4. Urban health facilities, in both urban and rural areas.

The idea is a single-window system, where all services including the tests, medicines (like iron, folic acid, and calcium supplements), specialist consultation, and counselling, are available under one roof on a single visit. This reduces the stress of running around health care centers, and also reduces the tension of taking multiple appointments.

PMSMA Journey So Far

The numbers are amazing after nine years. But, more than the statistics, it's the impact of this initiative that's astounding.

• As of June 2025, PMSMA has screened more than 6.19 crore pregnant women - that's the population of many countries.
• The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in India has dropped from 130 per lakh live births in 2014-16 to 80 per lakh live births in 2021-23. This shows a staggering decline supported by PMSMA.
• 78.27 lakh cases of high-risk pregnancy have been identified in all States and UTs with all complications prevented, till date.
• With e-PMSMA, monitoring of individual high-risk women continues up to day 45 after delivery. This is done to make sure that they are not lost in the post-partum period either.
• The Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) is supporting e-PMSMA, with thousands of private specialists volunteering each month.
• The scale of this Abhiyan is massive, but what makes it stand out is it's one woman at a time policy, giving the due support to every expecting mother who mightn't otherwise receive it despite any economic or caste criterion.

Why PMSMA Matters for Every Indian

You might certainly wonder that this is a government programme, does it really affect me? The answer is yes, even if you're not directly a beneficiary.

A mother who receives proper antenatal care is more likely to deliver a healthy baby. A healthy baby is more likely to grow into a healthy, productive adult. Reduced maternal deaths mean fewer children growing up without their mothers. Healthier families mean stronger communities. It's a chain reaction that begins with just one checkup on the 9th of a month.

PMSMA isn't just a healthcare scheme. It's an investment in the future of India focusing on one pregnancy at a time. If you're pregnant or know someone who is, mark the 9th of every month and head to the nearest government health facility. The care is free, it's specialist-led, and it could make all the difference.